Emergency rental aid has helped keep millions of people in their homes during the pandemic. But that federal program will start winding down this summer, when it expects to have allocated all of the $46 billion from Congress.
About half of that has been spent so far, and in some places programs are now running out of their share of the money and shutting down. That’s sending eviction filings up sharply, even as rents spike and inflation cuts deeper into household budgets.
In Plymouth, Minnesota, Wayne Meschke says getting eight months of federal rental aid was a huge relief. The 61-year-old works in hospitality as an executive recruiter, and depends on commissions. He says his company was devastated when Covid hit, and then he missed more work with a case of breakthrough Covid last fall. His kidneys and lungs have still not fully recovered, and exercise can be tough. His income is also still spotty.
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